Sweater weather has finally hit our neck of the woods, bringing with it ten restless fingers just twitching to get knitting. I'm a bit surprised by this intense need - I hardly invested a moment's thought in yarn while enduring the oven-like climate this summer. I thought I might never want to pick up a ball of yarn again, for fear of smothering myself.

That familiar yearning is back, thankfully. Now I just have to figure out how to go about this whole knitting thing with a toddler at foot. A toddler who has one of three reactions when I cozy up with a pair of needles and yarn:

1.) Immediately brings over a book to read and sits in my lap, sweetly forcing me to put aside my project.

2.) Says "Up! Up! Up!" or some other urgent demand such as "Outside!" to which I respond with a suggestion of another fun (independent) activity, which might be taken up or might not.

3.) Says "tzat?" which means "what's that?" and results in him wanting to do some of his own "knitting" with my project, which of course puts the project in the gravest of perils.

I should set up his own "knitting" basket with some balls of yarn and a chunky set of needles. Yes. That's what I'll do this afternoon, to see if it buys me another five minutes of knitting time. After all, I really do believe that it's important for him to see me peacefully at work, making something with my hands. That said, I have to let go of this notion of being able to knit anything complicated. It's back to simple projects for the time being, as I move through this phase of motherhood.

With that in mind, I'm eyeing this baby blanket for Lachlan. Simple garter stitch. I think I could pull it off.

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sweater weather

Sweater weather has finally hit our neck of the woods, bringing with it ten restless fingers just twitching to get knitting. I'm a bit surprised by this intense need - I hardly invested a moment's thought in yarn while enduring the oven-like climate this summer. I thought I might never want to pick up a ball of yarn again, for fear of smothering myself.

That familiar yearning is back, thankfully. Now I just have to figure out how to go about this whole knitting thing with a toddler at foot. A toddler who has one of three reactions when I cozy up with a pair of needles and yarn:

1.) Immediately brings over a book to read and sits in my lap, sweetly forcing me to put aside my project.

2.) Says "Up! Up! Up!" or some other urgent demand such as "Outside!" to which I respond with a suggestion of another fun (independent) activity, which might be taken up or might not.

3.) Says "tzat?" which means "what's that?" and results in him wanting to do some of his own "knitting" with my project, which of course puts the project in the gravest of perils.

I should set up his own "knitting" basket with some balls of yarn and a chunky set of needles. Yes. That's what I'll do this afternoon, to see if it buys me another five minutes of knitting time. After all, I really do believe that it's important for him to see me peacefully at work, making something with my hands. That said, I have to let go of this notion of being able to knit anything complicated. It's back to simple projects for the time being, as I move through this phase of motherhood.

With that in mind, I'm eyeing this baby blanket for Lachlan. Simple garter stitch. I think I could pull it off.

welcome

I'm Meg McElwee, a multi-passionate artist who divides her creative energy between fiber, paint, parenting, and the written word. Perhaps the most creative of all my pursuits is experimenting with the mixture of motherhood and art. My favorite thing to do is marvel at the world alongside my three young children, who I homeschool.
I have authored two sewing books, and taught a class on Craftsy. You can find my sewing patterns at Sew Liberated